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THREAD: I recently attended crisis intervention: a 40-hour mental health training for law enforcement. High profile police killings such as George Floyd in MN and Bennie Edwards in OKC have put a spotlight on this voluntary training. Here’s what I learned and observed. 1/
In attendance were 32 sheriff& #39;s deputies, police, jailers, administrators, a dispatcher and a chief from about 9 OK agencies, and me. It was one of the state& #39;s largest classes ever and was held in the Newcastle storm shelter. Here& #39;s the schedule for the week. 2/
The hearing voices exercise on day 1 was eye-opening for me. For nearly 30 minutes, we listened to a recording of loud insults and whispers while trying to complete a reading assignment and word search. For a few minutes, we experienced what it& #39;s like to have schizophrenia. 3/
We learned about state law, what mental illness does to the brain, common symptoms and treatment. We heard from individuals who struggle with depression and bipolar disorder, and family members who have called police to get help for a loved one. @NAMIEDOK 4/
Part of day 4 and all of day 5 are dedicated to drills. Officers practice responding to calls based on real scenarios and get feedback from instructors. A @NormanOKPD dispatcher convinced a woman on the verge of suicide to go with the officer to talk to someone who could help. 5/
A @Clevcosheriff deputy responded to a delusional woman shouting joyfully in a parking lot. He knelt and matched her positive tone, asking if she would allow him to take her to get help. He explained that he would have to put handcuffs on her but that she wasn’t in trouble. 6/
Several officers said police should not be the ones handling these calls. But until the system changes, these lessons can help slow their response and encourage treatment over jail time. For more on the training read my latest for @OklahomaWatch. https://bit.ly/3dE6YYI ">https://bit.ly/3dE6YYI&q... end/
